University of Iowa issues third sexual assault warning to campus

Victim reports being attacked outside east side residence hall

The University of Iowa on Saturday evening issued a campuswide alert about a reported sexual assault early Saturday morning outside an east side residence hall.

The victim, according to UI police, reported being approached about 2 a.m. Saturday by a male suspect, who initiated a conversation, according to the campus crime alert. He then took the victim to a “nearby corner of the building where the incident took place,” according to UI police.

“The victim yelled and the suspect left the scene,” police reported.

He’s described as 6-foot 3-inches tall and “older than college-age.”

Anyone with information or wanting to report suspicious activity can call 319-335-5022 or 911.

Saturday’s sex assault warning is the third on the UI campus this fall.

Police on Oct. 2 reported receiving information about a sexual assault that occurred late Sept. 30 or early Oct. 1 in an east side residence hall.

“Indications are the assault may have been perpetrated by an acquaintance,” police reported.

On Sept. 28, UI police warned the campus about a reported sexual assault involving an “unidentified fraternity house” and an “unidentified assailant.”

In that crime alert, police reported the alleged victim arrived at the fraternity house with friends over the weekend of Sept. 23-25 but was separated from her group. The victim then was assaulted by an unknown person, according to the alert.

These reports come just weeks after the university in September released the results of its long-awaited climate survey showing 1 in 5 female undergraduates who completed the questionnaire reported being raped since enrolling at the university.

The survey, which was conducted last fall, also found about 11.4 percent of first-year undergraduate female respondents reported being raped during their first semester.

UI officials cautioned against blanket interpretations of the results — as just 2,683 of a potential 28,787 UI students, or 9.3 percent, completed the survey that gauged sexual violence on campus. Most of the respondents — 1,972 — were women.